Kobe Bryant’s rape allegation and subsequent court proceedings happened during the 2003-2004 season. Bryant changed from number 8 to number 24, a number he wore in high school, before the 2006-2007 season. A season that followed a 2005-2006 season where Kobe Bryant had several historically great individual performances, but ultimately left him and the Lakers out of the playoffs.

2003-2006 was a period where the Lakers were upset by the Detroit Pistons, Shaquille O’Neal left the Lakers organization (thought to be Kobe’s doing), as well as the departure and eventual return of championship coach, Phil Jackson, who had published “The Final Season,” in 2004, in which Jackson did Kobe no favors.

Kobe was a winner and used to winning, and all of the sudden, he wasn’t. Kobe was probably at fault for much of the turmoil surrounding him during this period. Maybe it stemmed from the rape allegation and legal process. But to say that he changed his number three years later to distract from the allegations is asinine and doesn’t make sense upon the slightest bit of actual reflection.